SEQUOIA NATIONAL PARK

Gena's Place - outside our cozy closet- sized room

DATE:  Fri, Oct. 21, 2011
HOME: Sequoia NP, John Muir Lodge
DISTANCE: 18 miles
ALTITUDE: 4600ft
WEATHER: Perfect, except for gnats
NARRATIVE:
It may not have been many miles, but it was A LOT of climbing.  Luckily, the entire route was a steady climb between 5-7%.  It still took us 4 ? hours with a delightful coffee break at Snowline Lodge.  The weather never got hot – but cooler as we ascended, and we finally hit trees at around 4500ft – and then at 6,000ft the cedars and sequoias began to appear and the bugs began to disappear!

The ride on 180 was mostly along a ridge that wound around and up, and the valley below is a thriving community of Dunlap and Miramonte, and Pinehurst (where the ACA route goes).  Beautiful valley of farms and ranches.

John Muir Lodge:  a new lodge in Grant’s Grove – but the architect came right out of the Motel 6 design school.  It’s a shame for a national park lodge – it lacks character, but is comfortable.

We both crashed for most of the afternoon.  It was a long ride today, and we are ready for our layover day tomorrow.  Once recovered we figured out the rest of the trip.  Looks like we won’t be home till Nov. 7 or 8. Depends on weather and how far we want to push each day - there's a lot more climbing in the SoCal mountains.